Enjoy one of my favorite pastimes, consulting Gong Hee Fot Choy, or greeting of riches~! See what it says for you today. Have fun!!

December First

Challenge # 139

Happy first day of the last month of the year! There will be no more first days of the month to begin anew. We are here and it has flown by, at least for me and most likely for you!!

The challenge of today is for you to take a moment to look at the past year and to see how you want next year to be. Become your own visionary and map maker.  You have 30 more days in light of all the busyness of the month to reign in all the good and seek more good, or not.

Transformer

Challenge #138

It's enough to change your mind about something, it's another matter to entirely transform in to another shape, entity, creation. We are placed on earth to survive, and through that survival, we must adapt to our surroundings, and sometimes we need to transform ourselves into something we never thought we could be. As the year is rapidly coming to a close and we will welcome in a new one, I challenge you to see the transformer in you. See the possibilities of just how different you can be....

Death of a Salesman

Challenge #137

Isn't it true that in any business these days, you have to be the salesman or pitchman or woman for it? Even if you are playing an administrative role for a company or others, for you to truly feel good about what you do to earn your living, you most likely personally endorse your employers, or otherwise work to exist and endure unhappiness to survive. And, if you are working for yourself, you are your own pitchman. What is perceived as a nuisance is actually a necessity, even if you don't think you are selling anything in order to earn a living, you really are.

I challenge you to revive the salesman/woman within.  There is a pitch person in each and every one of us as humans, and we need to remember that and value that as an ability, not a hindrance or handicap. Don't allow others to judge that talent within you because they might think salesmanship is showmanship - let it shine for you. Dust it off and bring light to the salesperson in you!

Gobble-Gobble

Challenge #136

I think you know the rest.....Happy Thanksgiving everyone~!

What's Sauce for the Goose is Sauce for the Gander"

Challenge #135

No other holiday partakes of the featuring of a huge stuffed bird roasted, baked, fried or smoked to perfection than Thanksgiving. Personally, to me, a holiday that I look at as being the most important of all. It is a time of reuniting with others and giving thanks and appreciation for any and all abundance in our lives and that includes a celebration of life itself.  And since the holiday is upon us as of tomorrow, I look at an old saying of reciprocity, "what is good for one is good for another", or others, depending on the situation.  Reciprocity being an underlying virtue of Thanksgiving, in that you can't have a feast without involving others, well you could, but it would be a lonely one at that.

I challenge you to find reciprocity in your life with others, for not just the sake of tomorrow, but for the rest of your life. Try it, you just might like it~!

How Small Could You Go?

Challenge # 134

If it were just you and perhaps a partner and/or 1 small child, how small could you go in living space?

Are we not too far off from the reality of downsizing tremendously to alleviate property taxes, huge mortgages, large utilities bills and stress to keep up with the Jones, Smiths and Williams's?  Some people end their lives because the financial strains are just too much to bear to keep up with.  Some people end their marriages causing their kids to be in single parent homes because they can't keep up with the financial pressures of what their friends and relatives may have instead.  Are we letting our pride and tradition of owning the American dream get in the way of our health and livilihoods?

I challenge you to ask yourself, what do you really need to live today? And, are you upholding someone else's vision that is different than yours? Ask yourself what the cost is to you and if you need to have understanding from someone about this. Ask yourself if the cost to you is worth it....

Are you a Shark or a Dolphin?

Challenge # 133

In the great waters of life which group do you swim amongst? The Dolphins or the Sharks?  The main difference between the two is that dolphins are the more intelligent ones and are mammals, whereas, the sharks are simply predators. Dolphins communicate with humans, sharks attack humans. 

I challenge you to ask yourself which one defines you and, do you want to change from one to the other? Which one will you be in 10 years from now? Are you a combination of the two, a.... dolphark?

Does justive really ever get served?

Challenge #132

James Arthur Ray was handed a sentence this week to serve 6 years in prison for the untimely death of three of his followers at a self designed sweat lodge retreat in 2009, 2 years for each life.  Ray is known as a self help guru and was highlighted in the smash success of  "The Secret" book and movie fame.  He proposes challenges to others in an effort to get them to help themselves, to be brave and strong against the weakness inside, to breakthrough to the freedom that the coward within us holds us back from. His supposed cosmically attuned alter ego and semi-disguised earthly desire for financial security at the cost to and of others has gone too far. He never vocalized any wrongdoing, remorse or admission of neglectful behavior to anyone afterwards or to the friends and families immediately following the disatrous retreat, let alone took any public responsibility for what went wrong at the event.  Regardless of any legal advice he may or may not have been under, since when does anyone no matter who they are turn the other way at death of others?  It was documented that Ray offered a partial refund to one of the greiveing families when they confronted him about the death of one of the participants of the retreat. But come on, really?? This is a man who has made millions off people's trust to believe that he was the messiah to genuinely lead them to better lives...and in the face of tragedy on his watch, could not come forth to hold the responsibility or just human compassion for the loss of others? Who is really the coward here, and is justice really served? Can we put a number of exchange on a sentence for the loss of a human life, 2 years for 1 life?

I challenge you to think again when being marketed to for these huge self help retreats that promise being a better person once getting through the program.  You are your own best program and you know best for yourself. Don't be led astray from your wallets to spend exhorbitant amounts of money to fight the weakness inside you. Learn who you are first before following others, especially when it's going to cost you alot of dough, because it could just cost you your life....

Step Aside

Challenge #131

What compels us to put our foot in our mouth, eat our words and stand in our own way, let alone others?  Do we overthink situations too much, or underthink them?

There is no right or wrong answer here. If you want to change but don't have the slightest notion of how to or are afraid of change, simply step aside of your thoughts and just....observe.  I challenge you to find a situtation today where you can do just that...step aside and not allow your mind to be reactive, igniting your actions to follow.  Notice what you observe and how you would have handled it if you hadn't stepped out of the way....

Information overload, to be or not to be....

Challenge #130

Our media is on overload in this society, in my opinion.  Everywhere you look there is sensory stimulation overload in internet, tv and radio advertising, news and programming. Tickers of all sorts run incessantly,  creating overwhelm and drastically affecting the patterns of our thinking, expectations and absorption of information, numbing and dumbing us down.

For one day, I challenge you to focus on one source of information and one only.  Be it one newspaper, one tv station, one radio station, one internet source and notice the patterns of interruptions of advertising in the programming or information feed. Notice the distractions before the content. Do you believe all that you read or hear or see on there? Notice if you are wanting more or less, or, are you satisfied with what is given to you....

Sleep

Challenge #129

Sleep is a wonderful thing. And, enough sleep is even better. Too much can cause problems, but too little can cause even more.  Sleep is defined as a period of rest for our bodies nervous system and consciousness, usually overnite.  Time changes like daylight savings can cause interference with our sleep habits as we have to re-adjust. There are different stages of sleep and it can be beneficial to take mini-sleeps called cat naps of 5-15 minutes during the day in the middle of your routine. 

I challenge you to look at your sleep cycles and to create a plan for better sleeping.  Make sure you are active enough during the day to want to naturally fall asleep, rather than relying on substances to help you sleep, such as sleep aids, alcohol or prescription drugs.  When we wake up through the night, it is usually to go to the restroom or a change in our blood sugar. Have a glass of juice or a small light unmessy low calorie snack like a boiled egg near your bedstand to readjust your blood sugar level so that you can go comfortably and peacefully back to sleep.  Also, I have found that drinking a small to medium blend of mashed banana, warm milk and honey is a great sleep tonic right before I go to bed. If there are other reasons why you are not getting enough sleep, such as anxiety, worry or fear, find a practitioner who can help you overcome the issues so that you can return to good restful and deep sleeping. Enjoy your sleep and do what you can to make the most of it. We need it!!

Lie Spotting

Challenge #128

A new book came out about how to detect fraudulent behavior from others and although it brings about a fresh awareness of those who lie, it also has the capability of teaching readers just how to be deceptive. Does being viewed in some way, regardless of how large the audience, motivate us to fabricate the truth about ourselves? Within such a competitive society in all areas, education, work, finances, dating, families and social groups, how is it that we in a general term, feel compelled to embellish truths about ourselves to look better than others, and, what is it about us who do this makes us doubt that we would be challenged for it? How many of us are willing to stand up to the truth about ourselves?

Deception detection is not a new topic as humans have always been trying to guage the matter. In ancient times, the Chinese developed a system of face mapping, or reading called Mien Shiang, then there is Eastern and Western palm reading, and in modern times, NLP and the system of physical body mirroring and observing eye movement, and for a more scientific approach, the lie detector machine, or polygraph method. 

I challenge you to take a look at your inner lie spotting abilities, and by that I mean, your gut instincts, your perception about those who try to deceive you.  You can try on those in your inner circle, kids, family, friends, and then co-workers and so on. Grasp a sense of knowing and seeing the signals. This is not an exercise to get so far into your head about over thinking it, just start to begin an awareness from inside, notice what you feel and where it forms. Also, think back on when there was a time that you either were tempted or actually did lie or embellish something about yourself to someone else, and how you felt about doing so.

PINK

Challenge #127

One of the founders of the pink ribbon bow to create awareness of breast cancer has died. Hearts and healing prayers go out to the Lauder family for the unfortunate passing of Evelyn Lauder, 75, of the Estee Lauder cosmetic giant.  The irony that she championed breast cancer awareness for over 20 years and died from complications of ovarian cancer is unfortunate. A glaring reality that we are far from over in the war to find a cure from the disease.   
Cancer in general is still a rampant killer in the US. There are over hundreds of types of cancers that result in deaths each year with lung, blood, ovarian and pancreatic among the top four. Early detection and a change in lifestyle are about the only preventative things we can do at this point, as well as to do our part to make awareness greater.

I challenge you to take a real look at cancer in your life. Perhaps you know of someone with cancer now, perhaps you have known someone within your lifetime who has been affected by cancer. I myself have known 4, and those are ones who are survivors and spoke out and fought it. Those were the ones brave enough to speak out, I shudder to think of how many others who didn't.  Take a closer look at cancer within yourself. If not the actual disease, then the meaning of the word, that is, any evil condition or thing that spreads destructively. We may never have cures for the disease in our lifetime, but we can make a difference in our lifestyles and rid ourselves of cancerous situations. That would include relationships, feelings, thoughts, work situations, eating habits, and lifestyle choices. Having a greater awareness of yourself can help you greatly to create awareness in others...

Sex-i-tude

Challenge #126

Com'on men - let's get real on here!!  What is going on with your sexitudes??  My little DSM which is the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders has it all listed under  "paraphilia", the term coined for sexual deviance and disorders, involving sexual arousal and gratification towards sexual behavior that is atypical or extreme.


This according to Wikipedia:
"The causes of paraphilic sexual preferences in men are unclear, although a growing body of research points to a possible prenatal neurodevelopmental correlation. A 2008 study analyzing the sexual fantasies of 200 heterosexual men by using the Wilson Sex Fantasy Questionnaire exam, determined that males with a pronounced degree of fetish interest had a greater number of older brothers, a high 2D:4D digit ratio (which would indicate excessive prenatal estrogen exposure), and an elevated probability of being left-handed, suggesting that disturbed hemispheric brain lateralization may play a role in deviant attractions."

So, I challenge you to take responsibility and look into what turns you on and why - and STOP abusing kids and animals if you are, and see if that is really what you want....and I mean REALLY?????

11 11 11

Challenge #125

Happy November 11, 2011. To many, the sequence of numbers holds mystery in an unfolding of the meaning, and to others, it is simply a date, a bunch of numbers - even to mathematicians. And, to some it's a birthday.  Not since the tragic event of 9/11 has a sequence of numbers stood out so stunningly in modern history for the American people.  If you look at 11 11 11 squared it becomes what is called a palindrome, which means it reads back the same backwards and forwards. Author Doreen Virtue states in her "Book of Numbers" that a sequence of 1s is very powerful and "This sequence is a sign that there is a gate of opportunity opening up, and your thoughts are manifesting into form at record speeds."

Whatever your beliefs are or are not about numbers, dates and meanings, I challenge you to take today to look at numbers as an individualistic thing and figure out your own personal number and meaning,  (something we will get into in a further post)..... 

Unlimited Possiblities

Challenge #124

Close your eyes for a moment and breathe deeply and slowly and just simply relax.  Form a light ball that becomes beautiful and translucent in  your mind's eye. Allow that ball to rotate slowly and evenly. Form a chord from the ball deep down into your heart chakra. Align your heart chakra and your mind's eye. Now, begin to allow images to form into that ball of light of what you want to begin to happen in your life.  Carefully notice what you are seeing and take mental notes. Notice what your heart is feeling. Notice how you are beginning to feel when you can see what you really want from your heart's desires.

I challenge you to begin to form the pictures of your heart's desire.....

The Shadow Knows.....

Challenge #123

What is it that gives us the nudge to be other than good?  We are raised to be good or best in everything, grades, sports, to others, and if we were lucky, to show spiritual excellence as well.  To what do we owe the goal of reaching that pinnacle of excellence to? And, how is it that sometimes we never reach it? What keeps us from it?  We are light and we are shadow, having both qualities of good and bad.

I challenge you to find the triggers that make you want to not be so good. And once you identify them, see how you can turn them around to the light, modify understand and modify your behaviors so that the shadow within begins to dissolve....

I touched a piece of Mars

Challenge #122

My experience this evening at The Natural History Museum had me mingling with a bunch of people, each with an interesting and unique piece of American History, including myself.

If the story never gets aired on the NatGeo channel like it is supposed to, I shall reveal here and now that I am the owner of a pure silver 1913 Barber dime. The Barber dimes are a limited edition of coins that were minted in various years at the first part of the century and designed by James Barber. It was a gift to me from a neighbor around the time that I became a US citizen at the age of 6.  I don't remember much, but I do remember that it was in the late fall, my citizenship granting was in November.  I also remember him telling me that it wasn't worth much then because it had a hole engraved in it to create a pendant out of it, but if I held onto it that one day it might be.  I don't know if it is truly worth anything monetarily now, but to me it is nice to know that I have a piece of American history without it being something handed down from someone. It remarkably is the one thing that has stayed with me all these years without my really paying much attention to, and for that I cherish it.


The most remarkable possession that I witnessed tonight however, was not necessarily an item of true Americana, but rather a wonderlust reminder that we really do have a system of planets around us, it was a piece of meteorite that actually came from Mars. The owner allowed me to pick it up and hold it between my hands for a few moments in which I felt nothing, it was like lead. It also gave a whole new meaning to the Mars Bar for me, that's for sure. The heavy piece was beautifully molten and unlike any sort of earth rock formation.  The owner proudly explained to me that the specimen indeed had been tested and verified through JPL and Nasa as authentically having come from Mars.

I challenge you to find your one piece of American History that is truly yours and that you can cherish.

Love means Never Having to Say you're Sorry

Challenge #121

Sappy love movies of recent are presenting reborn questions for me.  Just how important is it for us to have achieved love from others, and what is that love derived from? And, what is this thing called universal love?

As a kid it was very hard for me to understand universal love as in brotherly love or being part of the greater love of humanity in general. That kind of love was never exhibited or explained to me in a way that made sense to me. Like alot of other kids, I didn't understand why I had to get up early on Sundays, and go to church with my grandparents and that my adoptive parents didn't. Then once there, I got to drink orange kool aid, eat cookies and color in pictures of Jesus and stories of the bible. I also got to sing, which was fun too, but I never truly understood what the songs were about and their meanings. I even went with them until the age of lining up to drink small vials of church wine and eating a small biscuit and I still didn't get it.  I really still don't get organized religions today, even though I did re-entrench the ideal of the habit of sending my little one off to Sunday school, much to her chagrin at the age of 3, for about a year. My purpose this time around was to help her understand that one religion is not the only religion and that there are many different "books" and teachers with teachings about spirituality and universal love.

I myself never got it about the whole idea of being a part of the bigger picture until I became an energy practitioner and began developing and utilizing my healing talents.There is a profound experience of tapping into source in order to be able to connect to another and run that from yourself to them and help them to heal themselves. To me, that is true spiritual connection and universal love.

So, I challenge you to look at the bigger picture of love today, and what your part in it is. Do you feel a part of it, and in what way? What is your stake in the heart of universal love?  It's not a matter of apology if you don't, or apologizing to those that matter to you. I think it's really a matter of how you feel you fit in to the whole existence of our lives on earth now.....